AZHunter
Iowa Boy At Heart
Hey Guys-
I promised a good friend of mine down here that I would spread the word far and wide about an issue going on with the Arizona Game and Fish Department. I know all states agencies are experiencing tough times and I'm not in any way saying the situation down here is more important (although its very important to me). I don't know exactly how other DNR/GFDs work, but AZGFD does not receive any state tax dollars. Their revenue is generated by the sale of hunting/fishing licenses, game tags, and a percentage of monies generated by the sale of scratch-off lottery tickets (known as Heritage Dollars). AZGFD receives roughly $10 million/year in Heritage funding. This money is used to pay salaries of biologists, program heads, and department heads as well as being used to match federal dollars (particularly FWS money) and carry out on-the ground conservation and management projects. The state of AZ is in serious debt trouble (as are most states, I know) and the Governor is considering permanently removing the Heritage funding from AZGFD to fix the budgets. I have two PDF documents/fliers that provide a good synopsis of what losing that money means to sportsmen (hunting/fishing related) and to the native wildlife conservation program (non-game issues) that are too big to upload here but I'm willing to email them to anyone interested.
I'm reaching out to you all here because several of you have inquired about coming down sometime (including invitations from me) to hunt elk, mule deer, coue's whitetail, and merriam's turkeys. This will affect you all that would like to take a 400"+ bull elk from the White Mountains, a 100"+ Coue's whitetail, or a 30"+ mule deer from the AZ Strip/Kaibab Plateau. In general, loss of that money likely puts several good biologists out of work, raises license fees (all ready too high for NRs IMO), and will take away from managing some of the best wildlife populations (game and non-game alike) in the country. I encourage anyone interested to read the informational fliers, form your own opinions of what it means to you individually as well as to all sportsmen in all states. If it means something to you, I also encourage you to write letters to our Governor (Jan Brewer) and/or our legislature with those opinions. As an official FWS employee, I have limitations on what I can/can't say (made clear in our staff meeting yesterday); however, as a person who buys my hunting/fishing license every year and takes my family out to enjoy all aspects of the AZ wildlife/habitat, I can certainly form my own opinions and act on those opinions (also made clear yesterday). I am more than happy to share those personal opinions with anybody that wants to know. One thing I can say in an official capacity (FWS, infomation sharing) is that there are a bunch of great conservation projects that won't get done and species we've been trying to protect will lose those protections increasing my workload and, possibly wasting your tax dollars where it could be avoided. I've seen a great deal of boneheaded moves in my days, especially since starting work for the Federal Government, but this one may be the most boneheaded moves I've ever seen! :thrwrck:
Thanks for your time reading this and any thoughts/considerations you may give this issue.
Respectfully,
Brian Wooldridge
Concerned hunter, fisherman, conservationist and father/husband of 3 others who share these feelings.
I promised a good friend of mine down here that I would spread the word far and wide about an issue going on with the Arizona Game and Fish Department. I know all states agencies are experiencing tough times and I'm not in any way saying the situation down here is more important (although its very important to me). I don't know exactly how other DNR/GFDs work, but AZGFD does not receive any state tax dollars. Their revenue is generated by the sale of hunting/fishing licenses, game tags, and a percentage of monies generated by the sale of scratch-off lottery tickets (known as Heritage Dollars). AZGFD receives roughly $10 million/year in Heritage funding. This money is used to pay salaries of biologists, program heads, and department heads as well as being used to match federal dollars (particularly FWS money) and carry out on-the ground conservation and management projects. The state of AZ is in serious debt trouble (as are most states, I know) and the Governor is considering permanently removing the Heritage funding from AZGFD to fix the budgets. I have two PDF documents/fliers that provide a good synopsis of what losing that money means to sportsmen (hunting/fishing related) and to the native wildlife conservation program (non-game issues) that are too big to upload here but I'm willing to email them to anyone interested.
I'm reaching out to you all here because several of you have inquired about coming down sometime (including invitations from me) to hunt elk, mule deer, coue's whitetail, and merriam's turkeys. This will affect you all that would like to take a 400"+ bull elk from the White Mountains, a 100"+ Coue's whitetail, or a 30"+ mule deer from the AZ Strip/Kaibab Plateau. In general, loss of that money likely puts several good biologists out of work, raises license fees (all ready too high for NRs IMO), and will take away from managing some of the best wildlife populations (game and non-game alike) in the country. I encourage anyone interested to read the informational fliers, form your own opinions of what it means to you individually as well as to all sportsmen in all states. If it means something to you, I also encourage you to write letters to our Governor (Jan Brewer) and/or our legislature with those opinions. As an official FWS employee, I have limitations on what I can/can't say (made clear in our staff meeting yesterday); however, as a person who buys my hunting/fishing license every year and takes my family out to enjoy all aspects of the AZ wildlife/habitat, I can certainly form my own opinions and act on those opinions (also made clear yesterday). I am more than happy to share those personal opinions with anybody that wants to know. One thing I can say in an official capacity (FWS, infomation sharing) is that there are a bunch of great conservation projects that won't get done and species we've been trying to protect will lose those protections increasing my workload and, possibly wasting your tax dollars where it could be avoided. I've seen a great deal of boneheaded moves in my days, especially since starting work for the Federal Government, but this one may be the most boneheaded moves I've ever seen! :thrwrck:
Thanks for your time reading this and any thoughts/considerations you may give this issue.
Respectfully,
Brian Wooldridge
Concerned hunter, fisherman, conservationist and father/husband of 3 others who share these feelings.
